For many football fans, national coach Christian Wück is a pretty blank sheet. This is true in women’s football. In the junior area, the 52-year-old left traces. The U17 world champions from 2023 know how the coach ticks.
Before the World Cup semi-final against Argentina, Wück Fayssal Harchaoui assumed. The Cologne team should have a very special task. Harchaoui still remembers the scene as if it had been yesterday: “My opponent should be playmaker Claudio Echeverri. At that time he already had a market value of seven million euros”he looks back. “Our trainer made me hot before. When we went out, he grabbed and meant me that I should show who is really worth the seven million euros.”
And as once with Jogi Löw and Mario Götze (“Show the world that you are better than Messi!”) Wück’s plan also worked. “I had Echeverri the whole game under good control”says Harchaoui and laughs.
The game finally won Germany 7: 5 (3: 3, 1: 2) after penalty shooting – and also in the final against France (6: 5, 2: 2, 1: 0) the decision was made. After the European Championship title half a year earlier, Wück and Co. celebrated the double.
Wück relies on “trust, respect and discipline”
The U17 world champions – many of them recently reached the semi -finals at the U19 European Championship – characterize their coach as a good and always positive motivator, but also as a man with a plan. “He followed a clear idea. Respect and discipline were important to him. He trusted us and gave us confidence”reports captain Noah Darvich, who is now playing at FC Barcelona under Hansi Flick.
Confidence, striker Paris Brunner, who scored two goals in the game against Argentina, also remembers this: “Christian Wück always trusted us. He believed in our individual quality and pushed us, even with residues.”
Long experience in the DFB under area
Wück, who once played up to the U21 national team for Germany and ended his player career in 2002, returned to the association in 2012. U15, U16, U17 – The ex -professional took care of the largest German young footballers in several years in more than a decade.
In 2020 he started again in the U15 area with the vintage, which he should only lead to the European Championship and then also to the World Cup title three years later.
Players and coaches grew together “like a family”
Harchaoui describes the development process: “At the beginning in the U15 he was a little stricter to us. We were even younger and not as professional as it is today. But over time we got like a family. Then he was in the father role, but also like a friend. We were very open to him – also about private things.”
Christian Wück has managed to push the team again and again through his emotional way.
So the players of the year and their trainer grew together more and more. And Wück struck the right tone. “His confidence and his belief in the team characterize him.says goalkeeper Max Schmitt. And striker Max Moerstedt adds: “He responded individually to the situation of each player. That gave us a lot of confidence. So we were able to overcome setbacks.”
At the European Championship, thumb is the order of the day
The players had already thought that after the great successes, their coach would not take over the next U15 year at the DFB again. Nobody had expected women – but “It is a cool step for him”emphasizes Harchaoui.
Wück has not lost contact with his year of success. Here is a message, a comment on a posting in the Instagram story. And the heroes of yore also see what their former coach does for women.
“I follow the upcoming European Championship in Switzerland because of him, but also some players I still know from Freiburg’s times”explains Barcelona’s youngsters. A total of seven players in the DFB squad have a past on the Dreisam, like DARVICH.
Harchaoui also keeps his fingers crossed for Wück and his team: “I will definitely take a look at some games and hope that you have a good time and will be as successful as we do.”